Thus far in 2010, Marshall Chapman has released an album of mostly self-penned Americana songs, written a book of profiles called They Came To Nashville, played Gwyneth Paltrow’s tour manager in major motion picture Country Strong, played concerts at clubs and theaters and written stories and essays for Garden & Gun and Nashville Arts magazines.

Oh, and the Good Ol’ Girls musical — featuring songs written by Chapman and Matraca Berg and stories by Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle — ran two months at New York’s Steinberg Center for Theater, off-Broadway.

“I’m not trying to do anything,” said Chapman, 61, sitting on the back porch at her west Nashville home. “I’m just a girl who can’t say no. I actually do everything slowly, and only one thing at a time.”

The “one at a time” deal is a guide, though, not a rule. Chapman proofread the galleys for They Came To Nashville — published through Vanderbilt University Press and Country Music Foundation Press — while sitting in a Bridgestone Arena dressing room in between scenes for Country Strong. She picked up some essay ideas in that same dressing room.Continue reading →

Marshall Chapman is celebrating the release of new album Big Lonesome on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at the Bluebird Café.

The album is far from Chapman’s only achievement of 2010. This year, she’s also published a non-fiction book, played the part of Gwyneth Paltrow’s tour manager in upcoming film Country Strong, written essays for magazines and seen the Good Ol' Girls musical -- for which she and Matraca Berg wrote songs -- open off-Broadway.

Chapman swears to an existence not nearly as frenzied as her output would suggest.

“I spend a lot of time just sitting here, or picking flowers and putting them in a vase,” she said. “I move real slow. But I do follow up.”

He was exhausted, his massive tour was nearing an end and he and producer Buddy Cannon had recorded and mixed a new album that was the final obstacle blocking him from off time. Chesney took a CD of the final mixes out of the studio to hear on his way back home.

“I put it in my CD player and listened, and I called Buddy back before he’d even left the studio,” the country star said. “I said, ‘There’s 11 songs on this album, but we’ve really only got four.’ I wanted so bad to be finished, but it was a moment where I had to do some soul-searching as an artist. The songs sounded good, but they were passionless, and I knew in my heart that we didn’t have it.”

And so they went back to work, and the “time off” Chesney pledged to take following his tour’s end in September became song searching and recording for much of the winter. It also involved meticulous work on a 3D film and on Boys of Fall, a documentary about football that aired in an hour-long version on ESPN and that will be released as a full-length DVD in November.

“One thing I’ve learned this year is that I’m not real good at sitting still,” Chesney said. “But with this album, I realized that I was getting ready to basically mail it in, and I just can’t do that.”Continue reading →

"I was looking for someone to do the song with me -- I listened to all kinds of music and there was this girl whose voice I just fell in love with," Chesney told Rolling Stone of "Tequila." "I didn't really know anything about her, I just knew I loved her singing and I loved her records, and her name was Grace Potter."

Watch Chesney talk about that tune in the above video.

The peppier "Reality" is up at the People site. Chesney co-wrote "Reality" with frequent songwriting partner Brett James: The pair wrote Chesney hits "Out Last Night" and "Keg in the Closet." "You and Tequila" was penned by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter.

Matraca Berg will be one of the performers at "Songwriters Sing for Nashville" at The Woods at Fontanel on July 17 (photo: John Partipilo/The Tennessean).

The Woods at Fontanel — a brand-new outdoor amphitheater on the Fontanel Mansion grounds in Whites Creek — hosts its first concert this weekend with “Songwriters Sing For Nashville,” a benefit for Nashville Flood Relief.

The event starts up at 4:30 p.m. at The Woods at Fontanel (4225 Whites Creek Pike, 256-5699; 1-877-820-8687). Tickets are $19.99 and free for ages 11 and younger. The show benefits First Tennessee Bank for flood relief.

"What a pleasure it will be to join our efforts and resources to help relieve those who are still trying to recover from the Nashville flood," Murrah said in a release. "Our performing Hall of Fame members will be inspired by this great cause and the beautiful grounds surrounding this new venue to sing their classic songs from their hearts."

Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster for $20. Children 12 and under will be admitted free. The show takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 17 at the Woods at Fontanel.

"My life has taken an unexpected turn," wrote Marshall Chapman in a Tuesday morning e-mail.

Those familiar with Chapman know that unexpected turns can actually be readily expected from her: She went from 1970s Vandy sorority girl to 1970s Nashville rock queen, went from Nashville rock queen to gritty singer-songwriter, went from gritty singer-songwriter to hit Music Row songwriter, and lately she's become a heralded author and essayist.

That movie will likely be released later this year. In 2010, Chapman also expects to release a new album called Big Lonesome and a book called They Came To Nashville. Oh, and her Good 'Ol Girls musical, written with Matraca Berg, Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle, opens at New York City's Black Box Theatre on Feb. 14.